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ISC3

ISC3 Innovation Challenge

Awards a 25,000 EUR prize pool to global start-ups tackling that year's chosen theme.

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About

Applications run in two stages, with finalists' pitches and the award ceremony held in autumn/winter. Winners are chosen in three categories — Best Social Impact, Best Regional Impact, and the overall Winner — sharing a 25,000 EUR prize pool, and all finalists get pitch training from the ISC3 Global Start-up Service plus a chance to be featured as Start-up of the Month.

What this grant funds

Each year ISC3 picks a single focus topic, and the Challenge is open to start-ups worldwide whose innovative ideas revolve around that year's theme. An international jury of experts scores entrants and selects finalists.

Key facts
CycleiHow often this grant runs - e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.Annual
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.-
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.-
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.-
Award typeiThe form of funding - grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Prize
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.-
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.€25K
Funding analytics

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Industries

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Eligibility criteria

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Application process

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Timeline

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Where founders trip up

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Guides

Guides for this application

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Documents

Grant Pitch Deck Example: Slides, Storyline, and Video Script

See a grant pitch deck example with slide outline, EIC-style pitch logic, demo-video script, and grant-vs-investor deck differences.

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Grant Technical Narrative Example: Scope, Milestones, and Evidence

See how a grant technical narrative can be structured, with a worked deeptech example, milestone table, evidence map, and weak vs strong wording.

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Grant Proposal Cover Letter: What to Include and What to Avoid

Learn how to write a grant proposal cover letter, what information belongs in it, how it differs from a cover sheet or letter of support, and common mistakes to avoid.

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